25 Days of Weird Christmas: Santarchy

Sure, anarchists love to angrily shout things like “Property is Theft” and “F@#K the Man,” but how about “Ho, Ho, Ho?” If certain rabble-rousers have anything to say about it, Santa Claus should join the likes of Sacco and Vanzetti in challenging hierarchical power structures–or at least, disrupting the peace. With Santarchy hitting the streets of San Francisco this weekend, scores of Santas will do their part to rattle the status quo, raise a little hell and flood local bars with fake red velvet and drunk guys in fat suits.

The practice of getting a big, unruly mob to wear Santa suits and bumble around town has become a bit of a global phenomenon. Santarchy and Santacons take place in such disparate locales as Tokyo, Stockholm and Harrisburg, PA, but the fourteen-year-old tradition started right here in San Francisco in 1994. Started by a group called the Suicide Club, a collection of people dedicated to urban adventure and pranks, it has since been adopted by the Cacophony Society who pursue “experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society through subversion, pranks, art, fringe explorations and meaningless madness.” Getting a bunch of people to dress like Santa and cause mayhem may be an attempt to subvert the traditional iconography of Santa Claus, but it’s also an excuse to party down like only the big man from the North Pole can.

Have your own video of past or present Santarchy events? Submit them here.

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Santarchy San Francisco is happening this Saturday, December 12. For more information, on how you can suit up and get down visit Santarchy.com, or their San Francisco chapter. Being anarchic, sometimes the Santacon can be hard to find, luckily there’s a Twitter feed to figure out where the merry mayhem will go down (#sfsanta).

Do YOU have a surprising holiday tradition, bizarre piece of Christmas pop culture or anything else to share? Send tips my way